Race-related differences in heart failure therapies: simply black and white or shades of grey?

The magnitude of burden imposed by heart failure on society has necessitated the evolution of innovative strategies to identify specific avenues of treatment and the populations at highest risk. Multiple studies have demonstrated a higher burden of cardiovascular disease in black Americans. It has also been shown that the clinical characteristics of heart failure, therapeutic targets, and response to various treatment modalities, are different in blacks as compared with whites. This article explores the unique race-related differences in heart failure with particular emphasis on the currently recommended therapeutic agents in heart failure.